16 Institutions Sign On to Offer Courses Through NovoEd

NovoEd, the online learning platform launched last April by Stanford professor Amin Saberi, today announced agreements with 16 institutions spanning the higher education, research and technology sectors. Through these relationships, the company will offer both massive online open courses (MOOCs) and smaller private courses in a social, collaborative environment.

"We are exploring new ways of offering Darden courses to the world in a way that more closely aligns with the Darden student experience we are known for," said Mike Lenox, professor of at the Darden School of Business and Associate Dean & Executive Director, Batten Institute, in a prepared statement. "From executive education to open courses, the social technology available on NovoEd allows us to thoughtfully scale our offerings at the highest quality and innovation."

NovoEd's focus remains on strategic collaboration with institutions and organizations in order to connect learners and executives with high-quality instructors in an environment that supports interaction and connectivity. Each NovoEd partner integrates its interactive learning model into the NovoEd online social learning environment. For example, the Carnegie Foundation is testing new approaches to blended learning using social technology, while the Stanford Graduate School of Business offered its first MOOC on retirement finance and public pensions last fall. The online course drew 44,000 users who accessed collaborative group work, online discussion, video graphics and faculty content. NovoEd also is used by Stanford Ignite certificate programs in Bangalore and Paris, which teach innovators, scientists and engineers to commercialize their ideas.

The platform enables students to connect with one another and work together on projects with real-world applications. In most courses, students create original work to fulfill their assignments. Between 35 percent and 65 percent of students who complete the first assignment in project-based MOOCs on NovoEd complete the course, according to the company.